The present invention relates to a fastening system for joining the ends of two or more members and particularly to a system for connecting wall partitions or panels together with a simplified combination of hardward and drilled holes.
Partition connecting systems are known, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,002 to Charles Logie, wherein blind holes are cross drilled in the ends of the partitions and cooperating interconnected hardward parts therein are screwed together drawing the end surfaces of the partitions into abutment by means of a camming action. In this particular teaching, a connecting pin member is used to bridge the two partitions to be joined and has two cross bores therein, one positioned in each partition and each threaded to cooperate with threaded pin or bolts having tapered heads that are inserted through slightly oversized counter-sunk holes formed in one side face of each of the partitions. The camming action is produced by arranging the centers of the two bores to be spaced slightly closer together than the centers of the countersunk holes when the partition end surfaces are abutting so that as the threaded bolts are screwed into the bores, their tapered heads act against the sides of the countersunk holes displacing and wedging the partition ends tightly together. A potential problem with this type of camming arrangement is the fact that if the partitions are of ordinary wood or plastic, or similar comparatively soft material, repeated use of the connecting devices will tend to round or distort the countersunk holes so that tight engagement of the partition ends may not be continuously achieved.
This problem is avoided by a somewhat similar wall connecting system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,927 to Diaz wherein a connecting plate is used to achieve the desired camming action. In this system two brackets of complicated construction are mounted on the ends of the partition walls to be connected and have slots therein for accommodating the connecting plate which has two countersunk holes in the opposite ends thereof. Studs or bolts having screw-threaded ends are passed through openings in the brackets and through the cooperating countersunk holes in the plate and have intermediate tapered parts which when they are screwed into position act against the countersunk portions of the bracket holes to produce a camming action that pulls the walls together. While solving the bore hole deformation problem, this system requires complicated hardware and extensive cutting to attach the hardware to the partitions and is of limited versatility in achieving different combinations of panel connections.
The present invention improves upon partition connecting systems of the above-noted types by providing a simple effective and versatile arrangement of parts and bores requiring a minimum of expense and labor in construction and use.